Army out as violence spreads in UP, toll 30
Despite curfew in riot-hit Muzaffarnagar, the violence spread to rural areas of the district on Sunday and 10 more persons were killed in a communal flareup in five villages — Sisauli, Shahpur, Fugna, Dhaura Kalan and Kalapar.
The Army, which was called in around midnight on Saturday, staged a flag march in the affected areas of Muzaffarnagar on Sunday. ADG (law and order) Arun Kumar said the death toll in clashes had risen to 30, but other sources told this newspaper that the actual death toll could be much higher. A large quantity of arms and ammunition was also seized from some villages.
IG (STF) Ashish Gupta and state home secretary Kamal Saxena said in Lucknow that shoot-at-sight orders had been issued and that Army personnel had been forced to open fire at some places on Sunday to keep things within control.
The Centre has on Sunday also sought a report from the Uttar Pradesh government on the communal violence in Muzaffarnagar and other areas.
The bodies of riot victims were, meanwhile, sent for post-mortem on Sunday, and are due to be cremated amid tight security later in the day. The bodies of two persons were recovered from Bhopa police station area on Sunday morning, and one from Chapar police station.
District magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma admitted several persons were still reported missing. Over 54 persons had been arrested for the violence in the area.
The district administration did not allow distribution of newspapers in the district on Sunday morning, and Internet services were also shut down. Mobile networks remained partially jammed, while cable and DTH services were also disrupted as a precautionary measure.
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